SAG-AFTRA Members Ratify 2022 Commercials Contracts

SAG-AFTRA Members Ratify 2022 Commercials Contracts

 

LOS ANGELES (May 5, 2022) – Members of SAG-AFTRA today overwhelmingly voted to ratify the 2022 SAG-AFTRA Commercials Contract and the 2022 SAG-AFTRA Audio Commercials Contract. The vote was 92.25% in favor. The agreement reflects important structural changes in the industry, especially in digital streaming.

 

The key provisions of the ratified contract include:

• $120 million in gains for members.
• A 10% increase in session fees starting this year. 
• Flat-fee, per-cycle rates across most digital and traditional media.
• Critical hair and makeup equity protections for diverse members. 
• Lasting cultural change through new standards for nude or partially nude work. 
• No more unreasonable or unsafe self-tape and live-remote auditions, thanks to clear boundaries on what can be asked. 
• Fortifying the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan with increased contributions.
• New compensation for digital use, paired with an employer-paid fund to mitigate the impact of reduced earnings on the most high-volume Class A use.

“We did it! An overwhelming majority of members agreed on the new Commercials Contracts,” said SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher. “As we move into a digital age, bold moves and structural changes had to be made. Our amazing negotiating committee heard what members needed and delivered new contracts with more money for streaming, more contributions to the health plan, limitations on self-tape auditions, hair and makeup equity, intimacy protections and more. These contracts create a baseline upon which to build a new future.”

 

SAG-AFTRA National Commercials Negotiating Committee Chair Gabrielle Carteris added, “Throughout the nearly eight-week process, our negotiating committee never wavered from a single-minded focus to modernize and transform our contracts. Our committee remained laser-focused on modernizing and transforming our Commercials Contracts. Our success in the negotiations is directly tied to the incredible support, advice and work of National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland and Chief Contracts Officer and Lead Negotiator Ray Rodriguez, whose influence and wise counsel is found in every provision in the contracts.” 

 

“This bold new agreement reflects SAG-AFTRA’s multi-year approach to address the major shifts in the advertising industry and the growth of digital and streaming platforms,” said SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. “We are changing with the times and adapting our agreements to ensure our members can benefit from the long-term evolution in the industry. This agreement will ensure union members continue to work and continue to receive the earnings they deserve. The agreement will also support expanding the coverage of work performed under a SAG-AFTRA contract. The fantastic commitment and energy of the negotiating committee exemplifies how SAG-AFTRA and its members can overcome any future challenges by tackling our mission with a well-thought-out strategy, with foresight, passion, perseverance and most of all, unity.” 

 

Initial rate increases are retroactive to April 1, 2022, and a second set of rate increases apply beginning June 1, 2022. The new payment and editing structure also becomes effective June 1, 2022.

 

The ratification vote follows the SAG-AFTRA National Board’s recommendation on April 9 that members vote yes on the new three-year contract with the Joint Policy Committee, LLC. Votes were submitted online and by mail-in ballot, with the deadline of today, May 5, 2022, at 5 p.m. PDT. The final vote was certified by Integrity Voting Systems, an impartial election service based in Everett, Washington. Negotiations on the agreement began on Feb. 15 and concluded with a tentative agreement on April 5. Voting instruction postcards were mailed to approximately 133,000 members.

 

About SAG-AFTRA
SAG-AFTRA represents approximately 160,000 actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists and other entertainment and media professionals. SAG-AFTRA members are the faces and voices that entertain and inform America and the world. A proud affiliate of the AFL-CIO, SAG-AFTRA has national offices in Los Angeles and New York and local offices nationwide representing members working together to secure the strongest protections for entertainment and media artists into the 21st century and beyond. Visit sagaftra.org and follow @sagaftranews on Twitter for breaking news from SAG-AFTRA.

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ABBA: THE MOVIE – FAN EVENT’ COMING TO MOVIE THEATERS ON MAY 12 & 14

ABBA: THE MOVIE – FAN EVENT’ 

COMING TO MOVIE THEATERS ON MAY 12 & 14 

 

VIEW CLIPS:

‘DANCING QUEEN’: https://youtu.be/LmpfBKLXfcw

‘WATERLOO’: https://youtu.be/5_RRSeDeJ0g

 

TICKETS ON SALE NOW AT WWW.ABBAMOVIE.COM

What: The newly remastered “ABBA: The Movie” dances back into movie theaters to celebrate 45 years since its original release and 50 years since the Swedish pop sensation was formed.

 

View a performance clip of “Dancing Queen” HERE and of “Waterloo” HERE.

The official trailer can be viewed HERE. For the teaser trailer, click HERE.

 

Tickets are on sale now at www.ABBAmovie.com

 

WHO:

Starring ABBA’s Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, and Agnetha Fältskog; directed by Lasse Hallström (“What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” “Chocolat,” “Dear John”); and presented in cinemas by Trafalgar Releasing and Warner Bros.

 

WHEN: 

Thursday, May 12 and Saturday, May 14.

 

WHERE:

“ABBA: The Movie – Fan Event” is coming to approximately 450 cinemas in the US and Canada. For local listings, visit www.ABBAmovie.com.

 

MORE:

“ABBA: The Movie – Fan Event” will take attendees on a flashback journey to the 1970s when disco reigned supreme, and ABBA were international pop royalty.

 

The film stars the members of ABBA and was captured by director Lasse Hallström during the group’s mega-successful 1977 Australian tour. The now cult-classic music film provides a rare look at the hugely popular group during the height of their popularity and includes backstage footage as well as full-length performances of some of ABBA’s greatest hits including "Dancing Queen," "Tiger," "Name Of The Game," and "Eagle.” 

 

The movie’s subplot is a mockumentary-style story of a country radio disc jockey who attempts to land an interview with the band. As deadlines loom—it is a slapstick mix of happenstance and error by the young DJ who is tasked with getting the coveted interview while ABBA’s dedicated bodyguard does everything he can to stop it from happening.  

 

“ABBA: The Movie” DCP was remastered from IP and scanned at 2K resolution. During the remastering process, dirt, scratches, and stains were digitally removed and the audio was restored to provide an “A” quality representation of the film. The remaster was completed at Motion Picture Imaging on the Warner Bros. studio lot.

EVERYONE’S FAVORITE DEPUTIES ARE BACK AND ON THE CASE IN AN UPROARIOUS NEW MISSION

The original cast of the Emmy®-nominated* Comedy Central series returns for hijinks on the high seas in the ridiculously funny RENO 911! THE HUNT FOR QANON, arriving on DVD July 19, 2022 from Paramount Home Entertainment.

 

Starring Thomas Lennon, Robert Ben Garant, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Cedric Yarbrough, Carlos Alazraqui, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Niecy Nash, Mary Birdsong, and Ian Roberts, RENO 911! THE HUNT FOR QANON reunites the cast of the hilarious hit show, which was one of the highest-rated series in Comedy Central history.  RENO 911! THE HUNT FOR QANON is the first “Reno 911!” movie since Reno 911! Miami in 2007.

The deputies from the Reno Sheriff’s Department are on a mission to track down the one and only Q behind all QAnon conspiracies.  Ordered to serve court papers to the mysterious Q, the team goes deep undercover on Q's Booze Cruise (mostly just for the free cruise).  They ultimately escape only to discover they’ve landed at Jeffrey Epstein’s old island.

 

The RENO 911! THE HUNT FOR QANON DVD includes 10 deleted scenes.

 

HBO Releases Official Teaser Trailer And Character Posters For HOUSE OF THE DRAGON

 

• The ten-episode HBO Original drama series HOUSE OF THE DRAGON debuts SUNDAY, AUGUST 21 on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max.
   
• Logline: Based on George R.R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood,” the series, set 200 years before the events of “Game of Thrones,” tells the story of House Targaryen.
   
• Starring: Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Fabien Frankel, Sonoya Mizuno, and Rhys Ifans.
   
• Additional Cast: Milly Alcock, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Emily Carey, Harry Collett, Ryan Corr, Tom Glynn-Carney, Jefferson Hall, David Horovitch, Wil Johnson, John Macmillan, Graham McTavish, Ewan Mitchell, Theo Nate, Matthew Needham, Bill Paterson, Phia Saban, Gavin Spokes, Savannah Steyn.

• Character Descriptions with Images Below:

  

  Paddy Considine as King Viserys Targaryen, chosen by the lords of Westeros to succeed the Old King, Jaehaerys Targaryen, at the Great Council at Harrenhal.  A warm, kind, and decent man, Viserys only wishes to carry forward his grandfather's legacy. But good men do not necessarily make for great kings.

  
  
  

  
  

  Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, younger brother to King Viserys and heir to the throne. A peerless warrior and a dragonrider, Daemon possesses the true blood of the dragon.  But it is said that whenever a Targaryen is born, the gods toss a coin in the air…

  

  Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, the daughter of Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King, and the most comely woman in the Seven Kingdoms. She was raised in the Red Keep, close to the king and his innermost circle; she possesses both a courtly grace and a keen political acumen.

  

  Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, the king’s first-born child, she is of pure Valyrian blood, and she is a dragonrider. Many would say that Rhaenyra was born with everything… but she was not born a man.

  

  Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, “The Sea Snake.” Lord of House Velaryon, a Valyrian bloodline as old as House Targaryen. As “The Sea Snake,” the most famed nautical adventurer in the history of Westeros, Lord Corlys built his house into a powerful seat that is even richer than the Lannisters and that claims the largest navy in the world.

  

  Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, a dragonrider and wife to Lord Corlys Velaryon, "The Queen Who Never Was" was passed over as heir to the throne at the Great Council because the realm favored her cousin, Viserys, simply for being male.

  

  Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole, of Dornish descent, the common-born son of the steward to the Lord of Blackhaven.  Cole has no claim to land or titles; all he has to his name is his honor and his preternatural skill with a sword.

  

  Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, who came to Westeros with nothing, sold more times than she can recall.  She could have wilted... but instead she rose to become the most trusted -- and most unlikely -- ally of Prince Daemon Targaryen, the heir to the throne.

  

  Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower. The Hand of the King, Ser Otto loyally and faithfully serves both his king and his realm. As the Hand sees it, the greatest threat to the realm is the king's brother, Daemon, and his position as heir to the throne.

   

  ADDITIONAL CAST (in alphabetical order):

  Milly Alcock as Young Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen. She's the king’s first-born child, of pure Valyrian blood, and she is a dragonrider. Many would say that Rhaenyra was born with everything… but she was not born a man.

  Bethany Antonia as Baela Targaryen, eldest daughter of Laena Velaryon and rider of the young dragon Moondancer.

  Phoebe Campbell as Rhaena Targaryen, second daughter of Lady Laena and sister to Baela.

  Emily Carey as Young Alicent Hightower, the daughter of Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King, and the most comely woman in the Seven Kingdoms. Alicent was raised in the Red Keep, close to the king and his innermost circle; she possesses both a courtly grace and a keen political acumen.

  Harry Collett as Jacaerys Velaryon, eldest son of Rhaenyra Targaryen.

  Ryan Corr as Ser Harwin ‘Breakbones’ Strong. 'Breakbones', Harwin is said to be the strongest man in the Seven Kingdoms.  Ser Harwin is the eldest son to Master of Laws Lyonel Strong and heir to Harrenhal.

  Tom Glynn-Carney as Aegon Targaryen, first-born son of King Viserys.

  Jefferson Hall as Tyland Lannister, a crafty and calculating politician, twin to Lord Jason Lannister.

  Jefferson Hall as Lord Jason Lannister, the Lord of Casterly Rock and twin to Ser Tyland Lannister.

  David Horovitch as Grand Maester Mellos, a voice of reason and trusted advisor to King Viserys.

  Wil Johnson as Ser Vaemond Velaryon, younger brother to Coryls Velaryon and commander in the Velaryon navy.

  John Macmillan as Ser Laenor Velaryon, son of Corlys Velaryon and  Rhaenys Targaryen.

  Graham McTavish as Ser Harrold Westerling, who has served in the Kingsguard since the days of King Jaehaerys; he is a paragon of chivalry and honor.

  Ewan Mitchell as Aemond Targaryen, second-born son of Viserys, nephew to Daemon, and half-brother to Rhaenyra.

  Theo Nate as Ser Laenor Velaryon, son of Corlys Velaryon and Rhaenys Targaryen.

  Matthew Needham as Larys Strong, younger son of Master of Laws Lyonel Strong, brought to court by his father.

  Bill Paterson as Lord Lyman Beesbury, Lord of Honeyholt and Master of Coin on King Viserys's small council. 

  Phia Saban as Helaena Targaryen, second-born daughter of Viserys, sister to Aegon and Aemond, half-sister to Rhaenyra.

  Gavin Spokes as Lord Lyonel Strong, Master of Laws to King Viserys and Lord of Harrenhal.

  Savannah Steyn as Lady Laena Velayron, daughter of Corlys Velaryon and Rhaenys Targaryen.

  
  

• Credits: Co-Creator/Executive Producer, George R.R. Martin; Co-Creator/Co-Showrunner/Executive Producer/Writer, Ryan Condal; Co-Showrunner/Executive Producer/Director, Miguel Sapochnik; Executive Producer/Writer, Sara Hess; Executive Producers, Jocelyn Diaz, Vince Gerardis, Ron Schmidt; Directors Clare Kilner, Geeta V. Patel; Director/Co-Executive Producer, Greg Yaitanes. Based on George R.R. Martin’s “Fire & Blood.”

Yellow Jackets Season One of The Critically-Acclaimed Series Arrives On DVD on July 19 With Two Exclusive, Never-Before-Scene Featurettes

Season One of The Critically-Acclaimed Series Arrives On DVD on July 19 With Two Exclusive, Never-Before-Scene Featurettes

“YELLOWJACKETS is a hell of a good survival story, a hell of a good mystery story, and has its fair share of horrifying moments. What it's also got--so many current shows don't--is sharp characterization and a mordant sense of humor.”

 “Your Next TV Obsession”

- Los Angeles Times

“Top of our must watch - and must discussed - list”

-Decider

“Wildly Addictive”

-NBC

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. - April 26, 2022 - The “darkly delightful” (Decider), YELLOWJACKETS: SEASON ONE, arrives on DVD on July 19, 2022, from Showtime®, CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment. Led by a powerful, female ensemble cast including, the “riveting” (Collider) 10 episode series has been featured in nearly 50 “Best of the Year” lists and is one of the most buzzed about new TV series of 2021.

-Stephen King

  Lynskey (Castle Rock), Tawny Cypress (Unforgettable), Emmy® and Golden Globe® nominee Christina Ricci (Z: The Beginning of Everything) and Oscar® and Emmy® nominee Juliette Lewis

Melanie

   (Camping)

  Created and executive produced by Ashley Lyle (Narcos) and Bart Nickerson (Narcos),

 YELLOWJACKETS: SEASON ONE is equal parts survival epic, horror story and coming-of-age drama and tells the narrative of a team of wildly talented high school girls soccer players who become the (un)lucky survivors of a plane crash deep in the

remote northern wilderness. The series chronicles their descent from a complicated but thriving team to savage clans, while also tracking the lives they’ve attempted to piece back together nearly 25 years later, proving that the past is never really past and what began out in the wilderness is far from over.

 This 4-Disc collection features every shocking episode from the first season, along with two exclusive featurettes that will take you deeper behind the scenes with the cast and crew:

● Yellowjackets: The Female Lens - We will hear from the star-studded cast and creators as they break down the making of Yellowjackets, highlighting the female-centric story.

● Yellowjackets: Favorite Moments - This compilation of the buzziest Yellowjackets moments will include exclusive interviews from the cast and crew as they reflect on impactful scenes throughout the season.

The series also stars Warren Kole (Shades of Blue), Ella Purnell (Sweetbitter), Samantha Hanratty (Shameless), Sophie Thatcher (Prospect), Sophie Nélisse (The Book Thief), Steven Krueger (The Originals) and Jasmin Savoy Brown (The Leftovers).

Episodes:

● Episode 101: “Pilot”

● Episode 102: “Heart-Shaped Black Box”

● Episode 103: “Dollhouse”

● Episode 104: “Bear Down”

● Episode 105: “Blood Hive”

● Episode 106: “Saints”

● Episode 107: “No Compass”

● Episode 108: “Flight of the Bumblebee”

● Episode 109: “Doomcoming”

● Episode 110: “Sic Transit Gloria Mundi”

Produced for SHOWTIME by studio Entertainment One (eOne), Jonathan Lisco (Animal Kingdom, Halt and Catch Fire) joins Lyle and Nickerson as executive producer and showrunning partner. Karyn Kusama (Destroyer, Girlfight) executive produces and directed the pilot. Drew Comins of Creative Engine also serves as executive producer.

The YELLOWJACKETS: SEASON ONE DVD is presented in widescreen format. The DVD offers English 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio and includes English SDH subtitles. The series will also be manufactured-on-demand on Blu-ray.

Happy Star Wars Day. May The Fourth Be With You! #starwars

 

The Godfather Trilogy 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc Box Set Review

It occurred to me recently that if it were not for The Godfather, the golden age of cinema that was the 1970s may never have occurred. Francis Ford Coppola, like many famous and respected filmmakers that followed him, got his big break directing Dementia13 for Roger Corman, which helped get his foot in the door so to speak, but it would not be until his dream of establishing American Zoetrope, which gave us filmmakers like George Lucas, Walter Murch, Brian DePalma and John Milius to name just a few that would captivate audiences as the generation from film school, which was a new concept at the time, that a process that inspired the filmmakers of my generation and so each generation of cineastes is effected by the previous. Where would we be without Polanski, Goddard, Fellini, Kurosawa, Zanuck, Wilder, Hawks, Kubrick, Chaplin and so many others? I tell you all that had not the stars aligned in such a way that Coppola, hot off of his Oscar win for writing the screenplay for Patton, but in debt because his last films had not been box office successes that would come as a result of The Godfather and the artistic control he would command as an Auteur, and had he not helped Mario Puzo craft his controversial, but best selling novel into a screenplay about the duality of family duty and as it relates to and is reflected by the American Dream, cinema as we know it would possibly be very different. Look at the cast with Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Robert Duval, James Caan, and John Cazale and so many others like character actor Joe Spinell, where would popular cinema be? If much of science fiction and horror literature owes a great debt to HP Lovecraft, I state the same is true of cinema when it comes to Francis Ford Coppola and The Godfather.

Everything that has followed in it’s wake is not only cinema history, but it all goes back to the vision and collaboration that turned a book into a cultural phenomenon. Coppola’s 1970s filmography, which would include The Conversation, The Godfather Part II and Apocalypse Now and these all are arguably his best work and that is not to state that what followed was not noteworthy. It simply is in my opinion that Coppola’s work in the 1970s was for me anyway, a master filmmaker at the height of his craft and while not all filmmakers are Masters and the term may sound elitist and extremely subjective, I still contend his work has earned him the title of Master in my opinion and while he is not the only American Master Filmmaker, he is one of the best just for his body of work in the 1970s alone.

It seems as though for the last few decades, there has been a video event related to the release of The Godfather and it’s sequels whether it is on VHS, LaserDisc, DVD, Blu-ray Disc and now to celebrate the film’s fiftieth anniversary, 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc. I remember seeing the trailer for The Godfather Part III in the theater, I was struck by how the opening presenting footage from the first two films were so dark, but richly textured. Up until that point I only had seen The Godfather in it epic chronological TV miniseries like form, which I remember literally watching in my parents livingroom and cutting out the commercial breaks so that in the end my father and I could look back at this broadcast version commercial free and as great as it was back in 1982 to be able to do that, I realized in 1990 that watching The Godfather recorded off broadcast television on VHS was like watching half a movie because the video format and the nature of television back then just could not convey the subtleties in picture quality even the theatrical trailer illustrated with it’s inclusion of scenes from the first two films back in 1990. As great as the subsequent LD, DVD and even BD releases have been, I don’t think anything has captured that realization and spectacle for me until now with Paramount Home Entertainment’s 4K UHD Blu-ray Disc box set release of The Godfather Trilogy, which includes a code for an additional 4K iTunes digital copy of the film in an insert within the box set.

Unlike any set that has come before it, The Godfather Trilogy 4K UHD Blu-ray Disc Box Set brings together what will be considered to be the definitive presentation of the complete series from here on moving forward on physical media. One not only gets the theatrical cuts of all three films, but in the case of The Godfather Part III, one has gets the 1991 cut and the definitive conclusion to the trilogy as both Coppola and Puzo envisioned it, The Godfather Coda: The Death Of Michael Corleone. 

Along with the previously released legacy content, this new set includes an introduction by Francis Ford Coppola, a look at the preservation and evolution of the films through various home entertainment incarnations, featurettes on the production design, home movies and restoration comparisons too. The only weak link is the digipack packaging for the discs within the box set, they sound have released it in a BD keep case like The Coppola Restoration Blu-ray release from

2008. Dolby ATMOS Sound elevates the picture restoration to near home entertainment perfection if such a thing is possible. 

The Godfather Trilogy 4K UHD Blu-ray Disc Box Set is available now at retailers on and offline courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment.

(C) Copyright 2022 By Mark A. Rivera

All Rights Reserved.